Impact Of Inappropriate Antibiotic Therapy In Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus Bacteremia

In vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) bacteremia, this study was undertaken to investigate the effect of antibiotic therapy, as well as other risk factors, on mortality. Researchers distinguished 146 patients with VRE bacteremia, admitted over an 11-year period (2004–2014). They examined retrospectively collected data from electronic medical records of 128 patients. The research indicates the detrimental effect of inappropriate antibiotic therapy and other risk factors on morbidity and mortality correlated with VRE bacteremia. Inappropriate antibiotics were prescribed in 19% patients, while appropriate antibiotics were prescribed in 81% patients (62% daptomycin and 37% linezolid), but only 58% of patients got appropriate antibiotics within 24 hours of the reported positive blood cultures. The 30-day and 1-year mortality rates for patients treated with inappropriate antibiotics were 54% and 67% vs 26% and 50%, respectively, for those treated with appropriate antibiotics. The median survival rate for patients treated with inappropriate antibiotics was 1 month vs 11 months for those treated with appropriate antibiotics. The advanced patient age (median age 75 years vs. 63 years) was a significant risk factor for inappropriate antibiotic therapy.

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